Earlier this month, Digital Journal reported about a three-year-old boy found driving a motorized toy vehicle down a busy Florida highway. Another incident has now come to light after a toddler was found running down a busy Oregon highway.
The incident happened just before 9 p.m. on Jan. 9. Deputy Gautney was on routine patrol driving south on Highway 101 when he saw something unusual. Gautney said, “I was shocked because I thought it was like an animal at first, and then I noticed it was a child. I guess I was shocked there was a child in the middle of that highway. It’s like the main highway for the Oregon coast.”
Gautney got out of his patrol car when the boy was right in front of it. The deputy scooped him up and put him in his vehicle. The boy running towards the car and Gautney picking the child up were captured on video by the police car’s dashcam. The video shows a large truck travelling in the opposite direction at the time the officer picks up the child.
According to officials, the boy was at a community centre with his parents who were cleaning up after an event. A door was open and the toddler took off. His parents were looking for him when he was found on the busy highway by the deputy. Police decided not to lay charges against the parents and the boy was returned to their custody.
Dr. Ben Hoffman, the medical director of a safety centre, told KOIN 6 that this is what two-year-olds do. He said, “They’re impulsive, they’re mobile, they’re curious and they’re fast, and things happen very quickly.” In advising parents to be vigilant, he added if a child that age can do something in three to 10 seconds, they will do it.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office decided to release the video, not to shame the parents but to show drivers how quickly things can go wrong and remind them of the dangers of distracted driving.
